We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our SitNGo Tournament poker training test. We consider this test to be the most detailed hand-by-hand analysis tool that could possibly be created for the SitNGo format. Our artificial intelligence analyzer considers every move you make from both a strategic and mathematical perspective. It will help you learn where you are making the most critical errors.
So, as I indicated in my last post, I’m going to be reviewing one hand from the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table, primarily to demonstrate that the hands shown are not necessarily the best-played hands. I believe this was the second hand shown on ESPN. Amateur Dennis Phillips entered the final table as the chip leader, lost some chips on the first hand, and was in second place to Russian professional Ivan Demidov when this hand came up. Phillips was first to act, Demidov was near the button. I’m going to jump right into the hand, and evaluate each action. I’ll indicate some thought on how I think the players should have played each action too.
Now that everyone has gotten to watch the World Series of Poker Main Event final table several hundred times on ESPN, I thought I would post some reflections on the success or failure of this new method of waiting 4 months to hold the final table. As many people have commented, waiting this long totally changed the dynamics of the table, because it gave the players months to get endorsements, sell percentages of themselves, hire personal coaches, etc. From a TV standpoint however, the public has spoken and they like it. Viewership was up almost 50%.
Recently, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) put out a call for all online poker players to register to vote. As chairman Alfonse D’Amato put it, "If you play, have a say!" This short blog is to remind you that if you haven’t registered to vote, the deadline is probably coming up in your state. If you go to the Poker Players Alliance voter registration site at www.poker2008.org you can register to vote in any state, so long as the deadline has not passed.
I want to go even a step farther with this “positive thinking” thing and talk about how even during specific hands, your attitude affects the outcome.
There is a famous book called “The Power of Positive Thinking”. In it the author (Norman Vincent Peale) suggests that your attitude affects reality around you. Reality does not happen in a vacuum. You actually create reality. In my life experiences, I have come to believe that this is true. And nowhere is it more true than at the poker table.
How much do Implied Odds apply in NL Holdem poker?
Often you will hear players talk about making a call when the odds don’t seem to add up, claiming that they do it for “implied odds”. In this weekly tip, I’ll discuss the math behind implied odds calculations, but most importantly I’ll discuss a few considerations you need to make in determining whether they do apply in your situation in NL Holdem. I’ll conclude with an expert strategy tip.
When you have the best possible hand you can have in a given situation, your goal is to extract as much money as possible from your opponents. This is an area where you will often hear tips about how to do this, with greatly contradictory advice. Some will tell you to play it slow to keep your “paying customers”, others will tell you to play it strong because your opponents will expect you to play it slow.
Our resident training professional, Ron Rose, has decided to allow our members to split 20% of his 2008 World Series of Poker Senior event winnings equally among themselves. This is a huge benefit for our members because Ron has a tremendous track record at this event: 1st and 6th in the two years he played it!
Congratulation to Kyle Casper of Pound, WI, who won our most recent free drawing. He will receive an Autographed Scotty Nguyen card in a sealed display case.
Our next drawing is for an Erick Lindgren official 8×10 glossy photo, also AUTOGRAPHED.
Good Luck! All you have to do is take our free No-Limit holdem test, and enter your email address after you take the test, and you will be entered in the drawing.
